MY NOSE IS LONG AND FUZZY by Joyce Markovics. Bearport Publishing Company: New York, 24p. 2014.  ISBN 978-1-62724-111-3 lib.bdg.  K-2   NF 599.3

Part of Zoo Clues, a new series of animal mysteries for early elementary readers.  The book isolates common body parts of an animal to begin the identification process. Each a close-up photo has puzzle pieces cut out, so as not to reveal too much at first.  Eventually the whole animal is featured and named.  I can't tell the answer, but this animal is a native of Australia - only found in zoos in the U.S. The easy-to-read text is large and contrasts well with background colors.  Non-fiction facts are presented in a unique and interesting format.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI

Bossio, Paula. THE LINE. Tonawanda:  NY: Kids Can Press. 2013. 32p. ISBN: 978-1-894786-84-3
$16.95.   Pres - K     Juvenile EP.

Even before I started to read The Line, the title and book cover reminded me of Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson. I love when a book has you use your imagination and this book accomplishes that goal.  It also reminded me of looking up at the clouds and finding different shapes that transform again and again. This is a fun book that a small children can enjoy on their own or have a mother or father sit with them and point out all the different things made out of just one line.  Then the parent could ask their child to draw a line and see what fun they can come up with.
Mary, Library Assistant @ Spies Public Library

Jadoul, Emile.  ALL BY MYSELF!   Grand Rapids, MI:  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers., 2012.  25p.   ISBN 978-0-8028-5411-7;  hc., $14.00    PreS    EP

Depending on a parent’s outlook on potty training, this small toilet training tale illustrated with an appealing penguin family will be either pleasing or somewhat appalling. Little Leon wakes his mommy and daddy up with a request to go potty every night, sometimes twice. Mommy and daddy are portrayed with bleary-eyed weariness. When mommy encourages Leon to get up during the night to go potty like a big boy, Leon reluctantly gets up on his own. Leon is so excited and proud that he wakes his parents to announce his great feat. Although cute and well done most parents are happy to be awakened by their progeny rather than change a wet bed.

Barbara Ward, Dickinson County Library, Children’s Librarian, Retired

EARTH FRIENDLY BUILDINGS, BRIDGES AND MORE by Etta Kaner. Illustrated by Stephen MacEachern. Tonawanda, NY: Kids Can Press, 2012.  64p.  978-1-55453-570-5  $18.95   Gr. 5-8

Kaner reviews green buildings, bridges and domes with the help of narrator Correy Laponte and her little brother.  Some comic book illustrations and kid friendly jokes add to the discussions.  The book highlights famous structures around the world explaining the green features and how it was built.  There are numerous easy experiments kids can to to enhance the learning experience.  The people and
professions involved in creating any large structure are highlighted.  A fun, easy to read enjoyable book.  Excellent for home schooling. Includes glossary of building terms.
Joanne Weber, Volunteer, Munising School Public Library

Rodrigues, Carmen. 34 PIECES OF YOU by Carmen Rodrigues. New York: Simon Pulse (Simon and Schuster), 2012. ISBN 978-1-4424-3906-1.; hb., Young Adult.

Ellie, a troubled teen dies from "an accident," a drug overdose. Her older brother and her two best friends come to terms with the loss of a vibrant part of their lives. Ellie is a difficult friend. She is volatile and talented. At times she is loving and at other times, cruel. She is a cutter.  She is also a victim of abuse. Those around her observe her behavior knowing something is wrong but all are part of the same dysfunctional relationship circle.  The characters speak with brutal honesty as they recall events before and after the accident. Guilty secrets emerge slowly.  It is after the death, when 34 torn slips of paper are discovered amongst Ellie's possessions, that answers are truly forthcoming. On these slips are written clues about her life experiences and relationships. Nobody comes out nscathed but in the end there is healing. Recommended for teens of a certain maturity level.
Susie Rohrbough, Accordionist and Librarian at large

LIBRARY MOUSE: HOME SWEET HOME by Daniel Kirk. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2013. 40p. ISBN: 978-1-4197-0544-1 hb. $16.95.   Gr. K-4   E PIC

When authors like Daniel Kirk teach you something while enjoying a good story, life is good.  There are all kinds of houses all over the world.   How and why houses are built depend on many different factors.  The weather can be one of those factors, as well as a show of wealth and power by the owner.  Not only are there several different houses mentioned, but pictures of them as well.  If that isn't enough to satisfy you, then you could read about a range of different houses in the back of the book.  There is even a glossary! This is a wonderful book that will entertain a wide variety of ages.
Mary @ Spies Public Library

DOGTAG SUMMER by Elizabeth Partridge. New York: Bloomsbury, 2011. 226p.
ISBN: 978-1-59990-183-1 hb. $16.99.   Gr. 5-8    JUV

DOGTAG SUMMER is a story about a girl who was adopted by an American family after the Vietnam War. There are many secrets in her family and much that Tracy doesn't know about her past.  Tracy has dreams and memory flashes about her past from Vietnam.  Whenever she asks her parents for answers, they are always vague and elusive. This story is her quest to find out about her past, where she comes from, and the family that she lost during the war.  Unraveling Tracy's past and learning the secrets that her new family worked so hard to hide kept the book very interesting.  The contradiction of her family life to that of her best friend Stargazer is an interesting twist in the story.
Melissa Coyne, Patron, Munising School Public Library

ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE by Jean Reidy. Illus. by Leo Timmers.  New York:  Bloomsbury, 2013.  32p.  978-1-59990-185-7;  hc.,  $14.99.    PreS-K    E PIC  

Rhyming stanzas perfectly match the brightly illustrated pages in a picture book ‘peopled’ with a variety of town inhabitants, benign, sometimes hilarious looking animals. The wide eyed characters are depicted doing everyday things that children can identify in their own cities and towns; or perhaps as we would wish our towns to be.

The trip around the town begins with a zebra, giraffe, elephant and other happy, friendly looking creatures on a school bus waiting for a book-pack toting bear who is leaving a bakery with a freshly baked morning treat. As the pages reveal farmers hauling corn, neighbors planting gardens, restaurant cooks flipping pancakes, mothers pushing strollers and buggies, turtle leaving the library with a load of books, there are small funny-bone tickling characters. A few of the many vignettes: a small creature popping out of the ground surrounded by apple cores and raccoon tossing his newspapers with a perfect throw to dog, dressed in high-heels, hat and coat, carrying a briefcase under one arm and a cell phone in the opposite hand. The perfect throw of course, is caught in dog’s mouth. Browsing the detail-packed pages will engross children and their big people. The cadence never falters and the rhymes flow effortlessly. A good addition to public and school collections, this book would be a good choice for a gift.Barbara Ward, Retired Children’s Librarian, Dickinson County Library

FROM BIRD POOP TO WIND: HOW SEEDS GET AROUND.  Bearport Publishing:  New York, 2013.  24p. ISBN: 978-1-61772-585-2  Lib.Bdg. $23.93   Gr. 1-3   j575.6

This entry in the well done Plant-ology series focuses seeds. It begins by chronicling the journey of a holly berry seed. The journey begins with a hungry cardinal eating berries from a holly bush. Readers are asked how they think the bird will help the holly bush make new plants. The answer is well explained and illustrated with excellent photography and clear explanations; poop-carrying seeds help the bush by spreading its seeds to a new home. The format continues in each two page spread. There is enough information for reports, but of even more value is the interest this book and others of the series will instill in children. This excellent science book should be on public and school library shelves. Barbara Ward, Retired Children’s Librarian, Dickinson County Library